Chapter 19: Lucky Star 4
Chapter 19: Lucky Star 4
Chapter 19: Lucky Star 4
Stained tables and boisterous adventurers filled the room.
Busy waitresses carrying trays of food moved about, occasionally swatting the hands of lecherous patrons who tried to sneak a feel.
Despite the chaos, the establishment maintained cleanliness thanks to the high-quality magical tools.
"Welcome to the Lucky Scoundrel!"
The atmosphere at the Lucky Rascals inn was more akin to a college bar or cabaret than a traditional restaurant.
While I had never been to a cabaret and had only seen them in movies, the staff of beautiful women bustling about left a strong impression.
Though not as striking as the receptionist at the guild, the waitresses here were neat, clean, and wearing makeup.
The first floor housed a clean dining area, while the second floor had budget-friendly lodgings stocked with basic magical tools.
The food was somewhat overpriced but boasted decent flavors.
"How many guests?"
"Three for dinner, two for lodging!"
I shouted at a waitress wearing a uniform similar to the guild's attire and slapped a gold coin on her exposed collarbone.
A gold coin in this adventurer-filled area was like a business card.
Intermediate adventurers could earn gold coins, but it was uncommon for them to tip gold coins for drinks or entertainment.
Thus, displaying a gold coin like this was a way to assert one's status.
Flashing an adventurer's badge in the dining area would be tacky.
It wasn't just me asserting this; it was a cultural norm in this area.
I figured I could show off a bit since Han Se-ah and Grace hadn't arrived yet.
A man with my appearance in this world had no reason to maintain innocence.
The waitress, who had been eyeing me appreciatively, licked her plump lips as she noticed the gold coin on her collarbone.
"Your table is this way. Are your companions female?"
"I'll be leaving the ladies at the lodging."
"Hehe, I see."
I had taken off my armor, leaving only a shirt on, while the two women were running a bit late as they had things to tend to.
I asked about the inn's closing time from the waitress before taking a seat.
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Raei Translations
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Shortly after, I spotted Han Se-ah and Grace entering and looking around.
"Over here!"
As I raised my arm and called out to them, I heard a few disappointed sighs from the surrounding patrons.
Both women had removed their armor, revealing their feminine figures clad in plain cloth.
The exotic, spirited beauty with black hair proudly showcased her alluring curves, while the grey-haired beauty with her large, undulating chest
Was it a bit too big?
It was only natural for the lewd gazes of the drunken men to be drawn to them.
The two women ignored the intrusive stares and joined me at the table.
"Why is this inn called Lucky Scoundrel? Grace didn't know either."
"I've been to the tower often, but I'm not familiar with places like this."
On the way here, the two women seemed to have struck up a conversation and become fast friends.
Just an hour ago, they'd been addressing each other as "Miss Hanna" and "Miss Grace," but now they seemed as close as sisters.
It was only natural for Grace to be unfamiliar with this kind of inn, even though she had shown more expertise in the tower than Han Se-ah.
The inn was unmistakably a place targeting male adventurers, evident from the glamorous waitresses with their low-cut attire and the magical tools used to maintain cleanliness.
"Quite literally, it's a place where lucky scoundrels from the tower come."
"Lucky?"
"Those who become intermediate adventurers without dying and rookies who score rare materials for a big payday come here!"
The way to entice the waitresses here was simple: generous tips accompanied by thrilling tales of adventure.
They would cling to the patrons, listening intently.
Of course, this wasn't a seedy establishment that only sold women's bodies.
It was also a place where lucky patrons could enjoy luxurious food good enough to relieve their stress.
This wasn't some run-of-the-mill tavern serving ordinary stew and watered-down beer.
Rather, it was a high-end restaurant where patrons could savor dishes prepared by renowned chefs from the kingdom's capital, accompanied by certified top-quality liquor.
The cheapest item on the menu was priced in silver coins, not copper, making it a place where only the luckiest of beginners and intermediate adventurers could afford to set foot.
And there were the adventurers getting slapped on the back of their hands they had money but lacked exciting tales, so they were rejected.
"Is it expensive?"
"The price of a steak you'd eat would be about the same as 350 goblins."
"Heavens!"
After deducting lodging expenses, food, and equipment repair fees from the money earned through low-level magic stone and herb gathering quests, such a luxurious meal would be beyond one's wildest dreams.
Thus, the patrons of this establishment fell into two categories: lucky novices who came into a large sum of money and sought to relieve the stress of life-or-death battles, or those who had consistently ventured into the tower without dying and rose from beginners to intermediates.
While skill played a part, most adventurers believed that fortune was the key to surviving and thriving in the tower.
With monsters appearing so randomly, it seemed fitting to attribute success to luck.
If it weren't for my high-stat body, I'd have ended up as a corpse hidden in some cave.
"Of course, it's only expensive for rookie adventurers. Intermediate adventurers can afford to come here once or twice a month."
"Is the income gap that big?"
"Rookie adventurers are abundant, so low-level magic stones are as well. But from intermediate rank onwards, there are fewer adventurers. Setting aside the difference between low and intermediate magic stones, the fees for alchemy materials or herbs from the middle levels are of a different order of magnitude."
Grace's party took on a beginner's quest to gather herbs from the plains without disturbing their roots and submit them to the guild.
One could earn about twenty copper coins by filling a human-head-sized pouch with herbs from several gathering spots.
However, the reward for the forest material-gathering quest given to intermediate adventurers was at least two silver coins, even if it was considered meager.
Considering that one hundred copper coins equaled one silver coin in the game's 100:1 exchange rate, the rewards for similar quests had a difference of more than ten times.
"So, you're today's lucky scoundrels. Rookie adventurers who get to enjoy a meal bought by a senior adventurer are hard to come by. Oh! And I've also secured accommodations, so you can stay here."
"You've arranged accommodations as well?"
Grace seemed a little flustered by my words.
There was certainly a difference between treating someone to a hearty meal and covering their lodging expenses.
However, there were various reasons for such generosity.
The main concern was the gossip that had arisen from my gold coin donations, all the way to the hammer I had given to one of my fans.
Rumors like, "That unyielding Paladin Roland made his novice adventurer party stay in a lowly inn worse than a stable," could be quite bothersome.
While other adventurers might let it slide, the patrons responsible for my luxurious and comfortable lifestyle were mostly nobles.
Although some of them tended to look down on adventurers, many others saw them as romantic figures in pursuit of grand stories.
"High-ranking adventurers shouldn't let their party members, especially beautiful ones like you, stay in strange places. People would talk. So, don't be so shy as to refuse the support a senior adventurer offers to a rookie adventurer."
"Beautiful, you say... Do you also win over women's hearts, not just monsters?"
Adventurers were romantics who risked their lives fighting monsters and exploring uncharted territories.
Maintaining an image of being generous, cheerful, large-hearted, and righteous would bring in better requests.
Some adventurers might complain about groveling or flattering nobles, but it didn't matter.
The rewards that came from spending gold coins and gifting spare weapons far outweighed the costs.
Grace, who had a rough understanding of the adventurer business, accepted my explanation with a light-hearted joke.
As for Han Se-ah, she didn't seem to mind or refuse.
She appeared happy to meet a well-off patron with impressive stats.
"Anyway, to Hanna and Grace, let's work well together!"
I raised my glass of ice-cold beer, a welcome change from the usual lukewarm cheap brew.
I put aside my doubts about whether medieval beer was originally consumed cold, as both of them enthusiastically raised their glasses as well.
The impressive energy of the relatively tall Han Se-ah and even taller Grace caught the attention of nearby adventurers.
Already caught up in the atmosphere, the two didn't seem to care.
With a loud clink, our wooden cups collided, and the resulting foam spilled onto the table.
Their spirited energy captured the attention of surrounding adventurers, but the two ladies seemed entirely unfazed, already intoxicated by the atmosphere.
With a resounding clink, our wooden cups collided, sending frothy white foam spilling onto the table.
***
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